Dogfish Head Red and White

Rating: 2

Dogfish Head Brewery
Milton, Delaware
Style: Belgian Wit
ABV: 10.0%
750 ml

Pours a lovely strawberry amber color; the head isn't huge, and dissipates quickly (it was quite lightly carbonated, with tiny bubbles). Given what we read on the label about the production process, there was a surprisingly faint nose (the beer is fermented with pinot noir juice, coriander, and orange peel, and is part-aged in pinot noir barrels). The taste, however, is more assertive, with plenty of fruitiness, and hints of raisin and sherry. There's a very light spiciness, but the fruit notes are very much at the forefront, even in a beer of this complexity. One drinker also found it to have a surprising malty quality. It doesn't have the heavy alcohol taste of many 10% beers: they've done a good job of achieving a balanced, drinkable final product. The label is a piece of art in itself, a departure from the usual simple style of Dogfish Head packaging.

De Ranke Père Noël

Rating: 2

Brouwerij De Ranke
Wevelgem, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale/Seasonal
ABV: 7.0%
750 ml

Pours a rich amber color with solid, not spectacular head; the head dissipated quickly. A lightly hoppy nose, and quite a hop wallop with the first mouthful - an intense flavor that showcased the best of hops with little astringent bitterness. Even with this being a De Ranke production, we weren't quite prepared for the hoppiness: we had paired it with food better-suited to a more traditional winter beer. Once we realized that the food pairing wasn't ideal, we focused on the beer itself, and concluded that it is an exceptionally drinkable brew.

Southampton Biere de Garde

Rating: 2

Southampton Publick House
Southampton, NY
Style: Biere de Garde
ABV: 7.2%
750 ml

Massive amount of carbonation, I struggled to pour the first glass. Hazy orange color, a lot of the bubbles stuck around and hit the top of my mouth as I drank this beer. Crisp dry beer with moderate malt and hop character. Has the basics of biere de garde down really well, not a huge amount of complexity past that. Overall a quality, drinkable biere de garde.

My other Southampton review.